Legally Slutty

How come nobody told AG about this blog before she found out about it on her own yesterday? What? Y'all are too busy buying AG's valentines day gifts to be all, AG, hawt Jewish lawyers at 12 high.?

So I go over there yesterday what do I find them pontificating about? The pending Freedom of Choice Act. Jackpot! That's not the good news though. There appears to be two Jewish (at least by last name) lawyers who write there. One of them is located, um, well a place where the stars fell on and totally fecking hot!

That smell is AG burning on the ground. Sizzzzzzzle.

If you cannot find AG this week or next, I'd suggest looking for her there or on the Rude Pundit's page (not a Jew, but has a PhD and fancies him an AG! La. La.)

Uncovering the Sun

OK, maybe it's about time to get away from the endless flirting and AG-posting to.. O, I don't know, maybe just do a little old school Insufferable Music Posting.....

Now, let's not get bent out of shape, my Jewessa Coblogger.  I love the fact that while I have been hibernating and incommunicative, somebody keeps the fricking lights on and thanks a bunch.  Glasses of 2 buck Chuck all around!!

So.

Let's all just pile into the wayback Machine, go back to a time when Reagan was Prez.  

Here in Milwaukee, the Femmes were triumphant, having just released their second album on Slash records; you could see them playing in bars and on street corners.  Bands like the Oil Tasters, Plasticland, Boy Dirt Car, Snopek, Couch Flambeau, Those X-Cleavers, R&B Cadets.... the BoDeans were just starting out, with a nascent 'da' in front of their name.  Drivin n Cryin started out here.  

It was an unbelievable, frenetic, communal and promising time... This Zombee thrived.

Into this environment, a batch of Indiana natives moved their band, the Squares, to Milwaukee; jumping in both feet first and gigging like lunatics.  I saw them so many times, picking up their tapes and cds... eventually, the band never made the break as the music industry crested and rolled back.  The members moved on, but stayed in town; a couple started Don't Records and released several excellent CDs from local bands.

Two of the central figures of the Squares, Scott and Brian Wooldridge, continued working in the same vein as the Squares, now known as The Wooldridge Brothers;  power pop in the vein of the Kinks, Graham Parker and Elvis Costello.  Right in my frickin sweet spot, it's true.  They even managed to notch a couple of great songs on mediocre TV shows.

Eventually, however, real life took over and the brothers moved on to 'real life';  jobs, family, mortgages.  Scott moved to Minneapolis.  Most of their music showed up on iTunes, eventually, and was safely ensconced on my playlists...

After much hiatus, they have concocted a full disc of new music, and the life between then and now plays center stage.  The songs are still full of life and harmony and yes, still a little bit of spit (see that "Does She Love Me Loud" viddy up there).  My music budget is constrained these days, but I still popped for the 10 bucks and you should too.  I've said it before about the Figgs, and it is just as true in this case:  This is  a band that should be heard by WAY more people, and the P-Fork top 100 list sucks completely, entirely, and hopelessly  because the Wooldridges are not on it.

The album has a fair bit of introspection on it, but it's wrapped in hooks and harmonies.  The vid up above, is one of the more over the top tunes, but is not necessarily exemplary of the whole disc.  There are subtle songs, straightforward songs, sing along songs.  But constant on the release, indeed in the whole WB discography, is the honesty and directness of the music.  Yes, UC, you might even say it's earnest.  Alt-country with a sheen of Power-Pop, refined with age, distilled through experience and produced by Chris Stamey.

Fave songs:  The Last Word featuring sweet harmonies from Julie Straszewski Wooldridge ("I been up to my teeth in testosterone and heavy metal"  what a lyric), Caledonia Creek, Hey,  Mashup Dreams, the evocatively named This Rain...  How much do you need?

It's oriented around simple guitar lines and great harmony lines. The mix is never heavy and the singing takes precedence; but it's never pretentious.  Think Sufjan Stevens, M. Ward, or maybe Okkervil River, with less angst... I even have an obscure cover of 'Shock The Monkey' (of all things) they did in an alt-country version many years ago.... you know, they make it work.  Make of that what you will.

I think at the end of the day, these gents are tremendously talented guys who learn the right lessons from the giants who've gone before; but never had the tolerance to play the music industry games. It has always been about the music, the songs; if they had tried it even ten years later, the Internet would have allowed them to work outside the machine.  It was not to be; and that's the way it goes.  That bittersweet truth weaves it's way through these songs like seasoning, distilling the lyrics and instruments, giving them flavor and poignancy.

Look, most of you know the kinds of music that trips my trigger.  Pinko sent me the Titus Andronicus rec; I send on back the recco to pop for the 10 bucks at iTunes on this one.  It's not on eMusic, but you can also order it directly from the band's website.

Into Every Life a Little AG Must Fall

Totally borrowed (without permission) from an e-mail AG received earlier today:

We've been talking about a hypo where an attorney general does a quid
pro quo with a SCOTUS justice for a vote in a case - is the justice
immune? Is the attorney general? Blah blah blah - but people keep
referring to "the AG," and it's all I can do to keep from giggling.

Where is the love from the rest of y'all?

Living in America

A national study released by the Pew Research Center today found that nearly half of Americans would like to live someplace else. Most people who live in cities said they'd rather live someplace else. Denver, CO was the top choice amongst American cities. San Diego and Seattle also ranked high among the nation's largest 30 metropolitan areas.

How come nobody ever cites a high desire to live in places like Newark, NJ, Detroit,MI, Fort Worth, TX, Driggs, Idaho, Fargo, ND, or Topeka, KS?

Things We All Need

A British Rob Smith GPS:

Turn left, and kill yourself.

Turn off the Ben Franklin Bridge and bloody hell, take your life.

Go right in a quarter mile and slow drown angels.

Sign O'Times

Non-profits may have shouldered the worst of the financial markets.

Proof of that:

Brandeis University selling artwork to stay afloat is scary.

A Jew, a Catholic Priest, a Fag, and a Straight Couple

walk into a dinner party in the Mid Atlantic on Saturday night:

Fag* and Straight Couple are getting their nerd on speaking about Zunes and iPods. There is some technogeek language blowing through the vents.

Priest: Gah. All I hear is bleh, bleh, bleh when you speak like this.

AG: Would you prefer we talk about the c-word again? (In reference to female of hetero couple who called a former co-worker a c-word while AG was sandwiched between the gay and the Priest during the dinner portion of the soiree.)

Priest: At least I know something about those.

*It was requested by the gay man that I refer to him as ‘fag’ in this post for his mere amusement. AG was happy with “the gay” or an appropriate term of such a lovely man.

AG should have known what would transpire when she received this invite last week:

Chanukah Gifts

Geekchick and J. gave AG this t-shirt over the weekend.

They know AG too too well.

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

She rocks.

She rolls.

She is awesome.

She is the birthday girl!

Love HER!

AG is a Doorknob: Everyone Wants a Turn

Facebook proof:



Click on the photo to read the byline.

I heart MB. MenDee, consider this a threat to your AG love.

These Are Days

I got made fun of last night for how I say pecan.

It was in reference to a scenario where my Bubie would have asked when his mother was sending a pecan pie.

I was told it will not be brought to me if I ask for it with Yankee speak

And if I did get it. He'd tip a ton of money and walk away with his face in shame.

AG response in AG's head with the voices: More pie for me, bitch!

Oral response: It's how I talk. I am not wrong.

AG hangs up phone later and thinks to herself: Forgetaboutit. The guy was recruited not by Amherst, but by Williams. Enough said.

*That was 10K performing at Bill Clinton's inaguration. I remember watching it in Scranton, PA of all places! In four more years, I will be watching Barack and Joey again while riding shot gun on a couch hopefully in Princeton, Cambridge, or Austin. 2016: that's just gravy.

A Few of my Least Favorite Things

Beyond the top five of obvious:

15. Mice
14. Meatloaf, both the food and singer
13. Anything but a long blonde hair
12. Filler flowers
12. Self depricating humour in men I am dating
11. Calculating nadirs of lab values
10. Having blood drawn
9. Meetings before 9AM or after 4PM
9. People who misrepresent themselves
8. Meeting people from the blogs for the first time. (Just the first two minutes where my social phobia kicks in.)
7. Not being Ms. Dr. Dr. Fish
7. Underachievement
7. Living in the Philadelphia area
6. Certain women who date my Jewish boys (They are mine. Please shop in a gentile department and leave them alone.)
5. Health Canada
5. Liars
4. Traffic jams both on roadways and runways
3. Chocolate
2. The Patriarchy
1. Bank of America Bank of Satan more...

These are a few of my favorite things

15. Fly fishing (I am learning, finally!)
14. Pottery Barn and discount racks at Neiman's
13. 45 Main Street
12. Washington State (and California, but for different reasons)
11. Being Jewish
10. Silver bracelets
9. Pad Thai at Rod Dee
8. Black and white photography
7. Red velvet cupcakes
8. Anything plaid or argyle
7. Lilacs
6. Cheeseburgers and french fries
5. My forehead kissed
4. Green carnations on St. Patrick's Day
3. Brass candlesticks
2. Old Volvos
1. Valentine's Day

Breaking Ideas

You probably already heard that Caroline Kennedy is no longer chasing former Senator Clinton's Senate seat in the empire state. As soon as I read the headline, I sensed it may have to do with her uncle's collapse earlier this week. Though Ms. Kennedy will neither confirm or deny this accusation, I suspect that and her desire to keep her children out of the spotlight are weighing heavy upon her back right now.

It was shortly after I digested the impact of the headline that it occurred to me that I believe the estate(Ms. Kennedy, to be precise) of former first lady, Jackie Kennedy Onasis, still owns property on Martha's Vineyard in Gay Head, MA. If that is the case, I have to wonder if anyone is speaking with MA Govenor Deval Patrick (D) and US Senator John Kerry (D)about a different Senate seat for Ms. Kennedy.

It may be far fetched, but if it happens -- you heard it here first.

At the very least, please, please, no MA State Senator Stan Rosenberg (D).

I Miss You

Yesterday would have been Bubie Claire’s birthday. I decided not to ruin the celebrations in the fountains as we danced to the beat of the removal of Bush.

It’s been more than a year since I lost her. Words cannot express the sadness I still feel within my heart over her loss. My life will never be the same without her. I still find myself reaching for my cell phone to call her when life is unfair and when things are beyond amazing. Or when I have Italian food or a cupcake on Valentine's Day and on and on. The loss is a pain that continues to plague me.

If I could talk to her today, here’s what I would say:

Dear Claire,

It’s been quite the year since you’ve been gone. I am still living in Philadelphia. Despite my feelings towards this city and state, we selected Hillary as our chosen one in the primaries last year. It was an amazing experience hearing her speak at UPENN. You loved her almost as much as I did. She was the best vote I ever made in New York to elect her as Senator. While she didn’t win this time, you and Zaidie can take comfort knowing we elected a man who reminds me of Zaidie with his brilliance, ideas, and willingness to triumph over adversity and unite all people for the good of America.

Speaking of UPENN, I started a PhD program there this past fall. I know, I know. Always the scholar, you would utter when I would arrive home with a plan for another degree. It has been an amazing experience. I sat my QE early at the request of my academic advisor and I am at the level of the third year based on my previous experiences on what I know and think about reproductive issues in America. (Wow! The aroma is sweeter than the chemistry ranking in high school.) I can honestly say a lot of that comes from you and mother having frank conversations alongside of me about the patriarchy, gender roles, and abortion. Geesh, you loved to talk about abortion more than most. I certainly appreciated them then, and even more now. Thank you for making feminism a part of nearly every meal discussion we had together or time we spent talking about domestic and foreign politics. We weren’t like other families, and for that, I am even more grateful today than ever. And thank you for learning to become a stronger feminist by accepting the granddaughter who had no desire to let a man “win” by having babies. (I’ve changed some thoughts on that, but you grew too from those days. Sadly, you will never know my thoughts changed because I wouldn't give up the ghost even in your last days. How could I? I spent 15 years getting you to change your mind, retrenchment seemed offensive at that point.)

I have no intention of finishing the latest doctorate. It’s not that PENN isn’t great. It is. While it’s no Columbia or Amherst, it’s been an amazing journey for me none the less. Having spent Kol Nidre at UPENN Hillel this year, I feel larger than life on the PENN campus with my classmates and friends. I was home for the first time in years!(And yes, I fled the synagogue into Rittenhouse Square during Yitzkor the next day because I could not stomach thinking about you and my other grandparents anymore.)

Yet, it’s not for me. You and Mother repeatedly shared your concerns with MH and me about law school. You, especially, had seen too much with Zaidie and what the political side of life is like for a spouse and his family. MH promised you he would never be a lawyer and today, he’s not. However, I never made you that promise. I always said I would go to graduate school and make you proud. When I turned down my first opportunity for a PhD when the letter came in from UCSB, followed closely by others, I knew you were disappointed that I wanted to pursue something else first.

That decision has served me well to this day. To that end, I still don’t want to be a PhD at PENN. It’s not what I want to do at this point in my life. I want to go to law school. It’s what I have wanted to do since I finished CUMS. We talked a bit about four years before you left us, and you still seemed uninterested in this plan for me. But, that time you said something different to me. Something I never thought you would say.

You said you hoped whatever I wished for would work out. That whatever dream I chased would end with happiness. That my happiness was the one thing you missed seeing since the day you watched me come home from the hospital. I know that some of that had something to do with the person I was dating at the time and that despite you always being on my team; you did not want me to marry him. I will never fully know the reasons why, but I know what I have always known: you’ve always known better for me. And that time it was no different!

I have thought a lot about why you did not want me to go to law school. Those reasons do not apply at this time. For I am not married and I am not with child nor am I going to be an attorney attorney. So it’s not the same as it was for you. Will I ever have those dreams? I hope so. At the minimum, I will honor your request to marry a Jewish man who will love me so much that he would have allowed you to come live with us until your dying day for you made me promise a million times that (1) I would be the one to take care of you when you became too feeble to do it yourself and (2) he would not only love me enough to respect how much you mattered to me, he would be the best grandson-in-law that you ever had and would fight me to spend time with you because he worshipped you more than I did. (A task I am not sure could have ever been possible but you loved the notion of such in your head.)

So, on this birthday today, I am here to tell you that all my hopes and dreams are coming true. I am going to sit the LSATs later this year and see what happens. I am going to get married before I turn 40 and I am going to have a baby that we’ll name for your mother and sister. I won’t name him or her Channa/Claire Chaim/Clark because there can never be another you. It’s simply not possible. What we can hope for is that s/he has big brown eyes like you and we love him/her as much as you loved me.

I miss you more today than yesterday.

With love,

M.D. (Her nickname for me)

Tramp The Dirt Down

If I need to explain it, you haven't been paying attention



Update: 2 million frickin people. cool. That's all the people that go to Summerfest each year, over eleven frickin days mulitiplied by two

Update update: Best wishes for Kennedy and Byrd. more...

America Graduates

from the eight years of sophomoric bullshit today as we look to Barak O'Boyfriend to gently finger us lube free as we sing and giggle.

Don't you just want to get drunk and dance in the fountains with AG?! Wear a lampshade on your noggin and experience two nipples, no waiting? Think Freshman Streek Week on an AG Amherst coke bender.

Funny story about drinking with the nymphs from the pools of cold water today- AG had tickets for the inaguration*. As many of you know, AG Zaidie was a politician and AG is not afraid to play that card on a rare rare occasion. Especially since connections Superbowl tickets are no longer needed this year. (Fuck you, Arizona. At least your boy toy lost in November. So, we'll give you this.) AG gave them up because imagine AG in DC right now. Go ahead. I'll wait... All those hot Jewish boy reporters, pundits, Hollywood types (The stats suggest the odds are with AG on this one.) and the PhD Rude Pundit running single and carefree through Georgetown. No wives. No rules. AG wouldn't know whether to come, lay, stay, or pray. AG might actually pass Fish up in the senario, especially since AG knows where he lives! Bwaaahaha. It would make Caligula look like an after school special.

*Shut your pie hole. It was my decision to give those tickets up. After how 2008 came to a crashing end with the raping of my soul, I didn't have the dopamine to get off the davenport, much let alone ponder the thought of getting on a train bound for orgy-land without a bra or a smile on.

Blow jobs are on the house today for all except for the Freshman who shacked up with Screaming Chicken during frosh week:



Because:



Let the good times roll.

We've graduated. Next stop: Columbia Law School! more...

Sweet Home, Nothing!

(Pay attention around 0:42)

On Saturday, I looked through the book and went to this website. Now you must too. Type in Alabama and see what you get.

Yep.

Exactly.

It's honestly not much better at Chowhound.

I did get a recommendation for here from a Hunstville Boy Toy.

There is also this. It's no Oak Park for sure. Or even Taliesin (I spelled it correctly, BP without looking it up!) West, let alone East.

There is this. I will not be there on a weekend where something is going on. Though, I did see Noodle and it was amazing. I laughed and cried. Unlike My Mexican Shiva with the laughter or the anger I had for Defiance, but it's Jewish.

Luckily, there is a tier one law school in the state and this little town.

I am hopeful I will at the very least be able to see Mississippi because it's on the list of states I have never been. I doubt I will go here. If I am a good girl, I might get to see some boys.

A Jewish girl deserves more.

At the very least I have a valentine.

Yay.

Good Behavior

This is for you:



And because we are equal about things, for you, you, and you:


Because AG is an attention whore.

I heart my fan club!

E-Mail and Procrastination

You know that friend of yours? The one who gets his ya yas not at Ikea but by coloring outside of the box. Sure, you know which one. You've know him for a 100 years or more. The pot head who cannot get around to reading e-mail for like six months. And only on a sunny Tuesday. Tuesday.

And along came Polly and Tuesday.

And he responds to the e-mail you sent like six months ago.

Except he doesn't recongize that he's like 120 days behind the scene.

He just replies like it was yesterday that you sent that e-mail.

Yeah, that friend.

Fuck him.

And his pathetic HP computer.

Police State

I love living in a police state.

I love that the Courts are hen pecked in this great nation.

That they bend over with glee on the old wooden US Army standard issue desks and take it without a hint of Vaseline in the air.

I heart that Barack Obama voted for this left handed crusty public wank job.

And that I fear we are going to have a moderate at best, Democrat at the helm.

Good times.

I am writing my own psychotropic meds now.

Dignity, humanity, and civil rights are clearly for the select few.

For everything else, there is 45% APR Mastercard and a modern day police state.

Because

my life is better than yours, I may have better access to Morrissey than expected when he collides with Philadelphia later this winter. This is going to cost me a revenge date or two I fear. I may not have Eagles tickets these days (Can we discuss AG's access to the Flyers though? Fucking Bruins in February! We shall not discuss courtside Sixers. Powerplayers rock my universe.), but pressing flesh with Morrissey rocks and slams the casbah.

Where is Pop Ren to rub it in? Probably at a lame Brian Wilson concert...

*AG is anything but miserable now.

Years Of Wrong Impressions

So. 

 Hi.  

How you doin'?  

Umm, yea.  I been less than attentive, haven't I?

I guess it's good that AG brings the postings, and the occasional drama.  Otherwise this would be a dull fuckin blog, wouldn't it?  Thanks AG.  You help bring the weirdness.

I guess I've been in an existential sinkhole, I don't know what to write about.  So many current topics are dealt with by much better writers, Clif  at Sadly, no!, driftglass, alicublog.... it makes one feel a grinding debilitating envy, it does.

3Bulls runs a long delayed epic musical post designed to make EVERYONE feel clueless about last year's music.  Admittedly, it's based on Pitchfork's end of year review, which is already  written by Insufferable Music Wankers with no self-esteem and way too much time on their hands.  So it's like highly refined, purified weapons-grade  Music Snobbery designed to make you huddle into a fetal ball, clutching your Boston 8-tracks.  I can't even bear to look at my files to see what 2008 music I added, knowing it will be lame.  Working Man, indeed.

Outside, it is frigid in a way that not only freezes the snot in your nose, it actually makes sunlight move slower.  Plus, the entire universe, apparently, is covered by a couple of feet of snow.  Attractive and conducive to wintery recreation when located in Colorado or Tahoe, but here it just serves to cover up the people who froze to death until the ground is warm enough to bury them.  The dog won't even poop on the yard, because she's too wimpy to walk on the snow and I have to shovel the dookie off the sidewalk onto the concealed grassy areas.

Some say that there is change coming, that a new President will be working to reverse the damages of the previous egregious squeezebags; but winter has set in, and things such as growth or warmth are but a rumor and a dream.  

So.

what to do over the next few months, until either the weather relents or we pile into the car and head for Mexico?  Maybe just try and reach out through these digital realms, making brief fleeting contacts as best we can, keeping the flickering, guttering flame of humanity and fellow-feeling alive in these dim, dark, cold days until ...  what, really?  What are we waiting for?

Maybe waiting is the wrong idea.  Waiting for something to change is passive, and miserable frigid midwestern winter notwithstanding, some kind of action may be called for.

But what?

Just Do It

President-elect Obama is beginning to work AG's last nerve. He needs a year to close the Gitmo? I have to wonder whether our beloved teh teh would be in agreement. I am guessing he would not.

Seriously. How fucking hard is it to move these people to a lovely little jail in west Texas or some fly-over state that AG rarely visits? After we got the warm bodies inside the mother ship, we let the Court deal with them and the crimes they may or may not have committed. Finally, evil incarnates like Bush and Cheney are also sent before the Court for war crimes against prisoners and must pay restitution to the families of those tortured. Despite what the Decider found on the Google, he is not above the US Constitution and he should spend a lifetime in prison with folks like Charlie Manson, rapists, and other sundries for the past eight years of shenanigans.

Seriously, can you imagine if we had let him privatize social security? My 401K statements suggest that was a wise move to impeach that idea.

I want to make popcorn and see a better show than the Oliver North trials.

Whatever

Why must people use washrooms as conference rooms?

I just went into the bathroom and saw this annoying woman who I have no goddamn clue what she does at the office, given that she never speaks to medical staff, and this lovely lab technician conducting a meeting in the foyer of the bathroom.

Um hello, we got look 200 conference rooms. Could they use one?

War of the Roses

Tile Boy came over on Saturday. It was a pleasant visit until he just couldn't let me win Scrabble. Like, WTF? He is a tournament champion player. So, no matter how good I am, he's probably going to be better. Like winning 100 times to my none.

I had him in game two until the last word: he puts down all 7 tiles and takes like 100 points. (Granted, he wanted to win the prize if he won and he certainly did not want me to get the prize I was to get if I won.) And with that, I took the board and it went flying threw the air. Like the daring young boy. Fucker. Couldn't just let the cute blonde win? His non date, date?!

We had words and since he's a psychologist, it wasn't fun. On my part.

I hated every moment of it.

Abhor is more like it.

Fuck him and anyone who looks like him!

Futhermore, he stomps off far more than the Queen of the hair toss and back turn.

And when that wasn't enough, I took the tiles while he was in the washroom and left him a little message on the board.

Ante that, MOFO!

And here's where it all changed. After he read the board, I stopped dead in my tracks. AG is no longer down with the 5th grade antics. That's when the head started to the voices: What am I fighting so hard for? Why is that everyone is my life lives the song, "Breaking the Girl" when dealing with me. Why do I have to win. At all costs? I am so mature in all other ways but getting my way. And getting my way? WTF? Why does it matter? Why does it threaten my rice bowl? Why I am the ultimate over-achievers?

With that I let it all go.

No time like the present to drop bad habits that no longer serve me.

Come on, that's what the last nine months have been about and I have to think all those insurance payments have been for something more than validation and chai with Woody Allen on Tuesdays.

I sucked it up and apologized.

I cleaned it up all by myself and took my punishment without complaint.

Then, I challenged him again to show I was a good sport.

And 565 points later, Tile Boy learned something: Don't fuck with AG and her rice bowl because AG was not born into mediocrity. Therefore, she is not starting now. You don't start out as an uptown Jew and go downtown. Sorry.

Maturity is over-rated. Winning is everything. For anything less -- plebians have MasterCard.

Next stop: my academic advisor's office: AG won her QE, now she gets time off for good behavior and we publish this fall. Rules are also for losers...

Deal with it. Once an AG, always an AG!

Cat Fight

Sarah Palin proves again why she is bad for America and bad for feminism. She wants to pay it forward to Caroline Kennedy? Really?

I have said it before, does Ms. Palin not get that she was not the first female Vice President candidate in the US? I am thinking she doesn't because AG seems to remember the Fritz and Tits pins that were available outside of the DNC the night that Ms. Ferraro was announced. Yes, the night that the announcement came in. While women have a long way to go before we actually break the glass ceiling, the fact that tits were not mentioned was a step-up in 2008. Then again, Ms. Palin and the Republicans would have you think otherwise being a former beauty queen, her lipstick, comparing me to a pit bull, and wearing Saks clothing.

And media doesn't help. Why I have to hear about Hillary's plaid and Michelle's fashion faux pas on 04 November 08 is beyond me. Would anyone like to discuss that Chelsea graduated Stanford with honors? And now sits in my seat Columbia Medical? (Funny story behind that is I think she is following MKK who went to Stanford and then Columbia with me!)

I am sorry but feminism is not about turning around and telling your sister that since you got treated poorly, she better too. Though, we might disagree whether she's a feminist, she is the one who went around town spouting about breaking the glass ceiling. An argument that we all know is false. It's actually about women sticking together and saying that we no longer wish to live in a man's world and that collectively we have power together as women because divided we are sure to fall. Seriously, Sarah! Grow up, teach your children about condoms, and get over yourself. more...

Thanks, Blue Girl!

Blue Girl (BG) left an excellent comment and question in the "Dual Bag" post below. As such, let's discuss it:

Geez. I *just* noticed the label on this post! LOL. Sorry.

This comment thread may be dead, dead, dead. And no one's gonna read this, but I do have a question just in case.

And I mean no disrespect here nor am I on an attack of any kind. I am just curious.

Must everything be viewed through a political angle? Aren't there times when something can be funny just because it is? It just seems like, all the joy just gets sucked out of everything right off the bat because we have to attach some kind of *meaning* to it politically.

I totally understand the whole "sexist" angle of this spot. I've also seen others say that they hated it simply because it was "advertising." You know, our Corporate Lords and all that.

Do we not give ourselves credit to know that already? Don't we have a choice whether or not we want to participate in something like "diamond rings" out of tradition or just because we want to?

And if we do give ourselves that much credit, is it that we don't give other people credit for being as smart as we are?

Like I said above, I'm not on the attack. Might sound like I am. But, I'm not.

If anyone's open to discussing this -- I'm all for it.

This is an excellent question and thanks to BG for asking it and sorry for not posting this sooner. Full disclosure: AG was trained in the classical second wave feminism movement. Second wave feminism follows the first wave that ended in 1963. 2nd wave ran until the late 1970s. One of AG's UGrad degrees is in gender studies and she has spent most of her academic career looking at second wave feminism and how society has responded to the less visible women's movement since that time.

BG is correct that not everything has to be polticial or is political. However, the blog community to some extent has been political. Afterall, BG's blog name suggests a political bent. Given such, I don't think anyone here wouldn't say that the ad was not funny to some degree. However, much like rape and the Holocaust, there are topics that are not funny to AG. These kinds of topics for AG only serve to continue hatred in society and since AG rarely can talk about these with the majority of her friends who do not want to go there, she likes going there with this educated, fun loving, and very respectful of each other's views, community.

Having said that, I think it is important to discuss the whole "expectations" of men and what happens when they don't buy jewelery. After all, virginity is no longer a prerequisite for marriage, nor do the majority of women consider marriageability their prime asset. Many women wish for marriage in which housework, child-rearing, and breadwinning are equitably divided. An engagement ring doesn't fit into this intellectual framework. Rather, its presence on a woman's finger suggests that she needs to trap a man into "commitment" or be damaged if he leaves. (In most states today, if a groom abandons a bride, she is entitled to keep the ring, whereas if she leaves him, she must give it back.) Nor is it exactly "equitable" to demand that a partner shell out a sixth of a year's salary, demonstrating that he can "provide" for you and a future family, before you agree to marry him. Thus, the only way to get out of the proverbial doghouse? Buy your wife jewelry, of course.

Adding an element of real-life public humiliation to the mix, JcPenney elected to offer women the option of putting their significant others in the doghouse, via a Web site that sent your partner an e-mail -- and then post his name and, if you choose, picture, on the company’s public Web site. Yeah, because that's acceptable in dating and mating. For goodness sakes! As I recently said to the most wonderful boy in the world, "I don't want to fight." Why do others?

Why I labeled that post the way I did is because the ad incensed me to no end. As such, I decided to "go there" instead of laugh it off with my co-workers who originally sent it to me. I think I was most annoyed because who should be more offended? Men, who are painted as sexist, clueless dolts, or women, who are shown as mean-spirited and materialistic, who think men should suffer until token bling bling is offered. As I said at the Sixers game last night, why in 2009 do I still have to watch cheerleaders shake their money makers at half time? Sports are not about T&A and giving men what they want is not about empowerement for women. It's simply not. No matter how much you want to spin it.

I am certainly not without humor or saying that the sexes don't have their share of differences, especially when it comes to the idea of the perfect gesture at Channukah. It is my contention that there are better ways to play up these differences than turning a diamond into a girl's best friend and a guy into a dual bag, a misogynistic reference to "douche bag" BTW.

For what it's worth...I no longer want a ring. I want happiness. Happiness comes in Jewish PhDs (Or Jewish lawyers that are TTT. (LoL) AG is not saying one word. Not one word.) and that is enough for me. Enough. In fact, it was always enough for me. Though, a red velvet cupcake and a Bose CD player wouldn't be bad gestures this Valentine's Day too.

Calling Your Bluff

So, you know I am Jewish, right? Yeah, well apparently in 2009, I am finally expressing the guilt and neurosis gene. (I am so glad I am only now doing this because I would have gone insane by now. Seriously, Woody Allen makes a living putting his in the public eye? Kill. me. now.) My rice bowl was threatened twice within the past sixty days. So, I am putting a stop to it right here and now. Cowboy 1 and Cowboy 2 (Total outsiders, guys. No stalker y'all know. To my knowledge, neither have ever left comments on any blogs AG reads.) said they know things about AG from the blogs. As if real non AG is findable thru the blogs. (Yay, good luck with that.)

So, if you are Cowboy 1 or Cowboy 2, prove it in comments by leaving some love that only AG would know you would know. Otherwise, STFU and let me sleep at night! For the love of all things Manischweitz, do it.

Billy P, sorry for the fridge note but this seems the appropriate place given the lastest round of AG taunting. I swear. Maybe Joe Walsh was right, I should get a limo and lock the doors in case I am attacked. Rock star status is getting sooo old. Really, it is!

Lies we tell ourselves

There is an interesting article in the NY Times today about young Latina women and their covert use of abortion. There are two main public health issues with this:

1. The safety of these women, as they can be harmed it the process either by not being told what the end result of using such medications is and/or harm from misuse/illegal use of drug products. As someone who is responsible for final approvals of drug labeling information before it goes to the FDA, it is important that drug products are not used off label and all drug products available within our nation are approved for use in the US before people start using them.

2. In 2009, women are still unable and ashamed to admit to abortion. Feck the Catholic/Pope angle on this topic. I think it's much deeper. The Scarlet A hasn't stood for adultry since 1973. Don't get me wrong, I am not one for posting whether or not I have had an abortion online, let alone in person or even the chick pox for that matter. That is largely due to the fact that beyond cancer scares, I am not posting what is discussed behind closed doors between my physician and me. (Now if he's Jewish and we happen to make-out, that's different. Is that too much information?) However, I am not ashamed of anything that has happened in a physician's office.

Now as for going public about what happens between my doctor and me in his home, well, what happens in Newton/Wellsley stays there. La. La.